Top Irish holiday destinations – as voted by the Irish

Top Irish holiday spots as voted by the Irish. Photo copyright Ireland Calling

Ireland has millions of visits from overseas guests every year.

So many in fact that the number of tourists is greater than the population of the country.

Most head to the famous cities of Dublin, Belfast and Cork.

However they may be missing a trick. A new survey by myhome.ie asked Irish people to name their favourite place to visit in Ireland.

Top Irish holiday spots as voted by the Irish. Photo copyright Ireland Calling

It was Kerry that came out top as the Irish destination of choice amongst the Irish. It won’t come as a surprise to anyone who has ever visited Kerry.

The scenery is outstanding and the area can be a peaceful place to get away from the hustle and bustle of everyday life.

The county has the famous ‘Ring of Kerry’ which is a driving or cycling route around the coastline that takes in many of the beautiful sights such as Lady’s view, the Lakes of Killarney and the Blue Pool Nature reserve.

There are also various places to stop off such as beaches, mountains and the seaside town of Waterville.

Kerry received 26% of the Irish vote – way ahead of its nearest rival, Galway with 15%.

Angela Keegan, managing director of myhome.ie said: ““There was good news for Kilkenny also as it moved into the top ten, up two places from last year, but unfortunately Wicklow is moving in the other direction.

“Over 40 per cent of respondents believe the recession has led to better holiday home rental and once domestic visitors arrive, foreign tourists will quickly follow.”

While Kerry may have been the Irish people’s favourite county to visit, the county they were actually most likely to head to was Cork. This year, 14.3% of respondents said they were going to Cork – slightly ahead of Kerry with 14%.

Below is the list of Irish people’s top 15 counties to visit in Ireland

1 Kerry (26%)
2 Galway (15%)
3 Cork (14%)
4 Wexford (8%)
5 Donegal (7%)
6 Clare (6.3%)
7 Mayo (5.82%)
8 Dublin (3.1%)
9 Waterford (3%)
10 Kilkenny (2.1%)
11 Sligo (1.5%)
12 Wicklow (1.4%)
13 Cavan (1%)
14 Antrim (0.6%)
15 Down, Leitrim, Limerick and Tipperary (0.5%)


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